Petuniaxc3x97hybrida cultivar Duesurcream.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant, botanically known as Petuniaxc3x97hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Duesurcream.
The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Rheinberg, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Petunias with attractive flower colors.
The new Petunia originated from a cross made by the Inventor of a proprietary Petunia selection identified as code number 94-211, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary Petunia selection identified as code number S-2-22, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny by the Inventor in Rheinberg, Germany, on the basis of its attractive flower color.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings taken in Rheinberg, Germany has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Duesurcream have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Duesurcreamxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Duesurcreamxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.
2. Freely basal branching.
3. Single flowers that are white in color with purple throat.
Compared to plants of the female parent, the selection 94-211, plants of the new Petunia are more outwardly spreading, more freely branching and have a faster growth rate. In addition, plants of the new Petunia and the female parent differ in flower color as plants of the female flower have purple-colored petals. Compared to plants of the male parent, the selection S-2-22, plants of the new Petunia have longer lateral branches and larger leaves. Compared to plants of the cultivar Duesurbluvein, U.S. Plant Patent application filed concurrently, plants of the new Petunia are larger, have longer internodes, longer leaves, and have flower petals with less pronounced purple-colored venation on the upper surface.
Plants of the new Petunia are similar to plants of the cultivar Surfinia White, not patented, in flower color. However, in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Rheinberg, Germany, plants of the new Petunia differed from plants of the cultivar Surfinia White in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Petunia had longer lateral branches and longer internodes than plants of the cultivar Surfinia White.
2. Plants of the new Petunia had larger leaves than plants of the cultivar Surfinia White.
3. Plants of the new Petunia had larger flowers than plants of the cultivar Surfinia White.
4. Flowers of plants of the new Petunia had purple-colored venation whereas flowers of plants of the cultivar Surfinia White had green-colored venation.